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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. current — happening now
  5. firm — steady
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bound — obliged
  11. firm — a company
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. capital — a city
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. firm — decided
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com